Tóu Bǐ Cóng Róng | 投笔从戎—

from Season 5, Episode 3: Be All That You Can Be

The story behind this Chinese Saying is a great one from Chinese history. The story of Tóu Bǐ Cóng Róng 投笔从戎 revolves around the esteemed Ban Family of historians. The patriarch was Ban Biao who co-wrote the Book of Han. Unfortunately, he passed away before completing this momentous work. His children Ban Gu and Ban Zhao completed the Book of Han. They had another sibling named Ban Chao who also toiled away as a historian.

In this episode, we'll look at the story of Ban Chao before we went on to serve the Han Dynasty out in the Western Regions of Xinjiang. He threw down his pen and in a fit of patriotism and yearning for glory, he joined the army. You can also apply it to anyone is puts their life on hold and joins up to fight for a cause, such as the invasion of one's country.